Adjustable hinge for ear phone attached to a head support



July 26, 1966 E. c. SCANLON ADJUSTABLE HINGE FOR EAR PHONE ATTACHED TO A HEAD SUPPORT Filed May 2, 1965 INVEN TOR. EDWARD CHARLES SCANL ON i m/M 'FM 31M United States Patent 3,263,032 ADJUSTABLE HINGE FOR EAR PHONE AT- TACHED TO A HEAD SUPPORT Edward Charles Scanlon, 13 Richmond Ave., Harrington, R.I. Filed Mar. 2, 1963, Ser. No. 277,595 3 Claims. (Cl. 179-156) This invention relates to a hinge connection between ear phones and a head support and more particularly to adjustable hinge means whereby the ear phones may be minutely adjusted in relation to the pressure exerted by the ear phones upon the ears.

Radio receivers, telephone receivers (ear phones) and the like, are normally attached to a head band whereby the receivers exert considerable pressure on the ears, and the continued use thereof often becomes painful. It is also necessary when the listener desires to carry on local conversation to remove the head band from the head, or at least to raise it manually from the ears in order to hear. When this is done part or all of the receiving message is lost.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a structure whereby the relation of the receivers to the ears may be adjusted to suit these different conditions and to relieve the pressure on the ears by a simple adjustment without removing the structure from the head.

The present invention is in the nature of a hinge support adjustably attaching an ear phone to a head support.

Other objects of the present invention will be pointed out in part and become apparent in part in the following specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding pants in all the figures:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the new and improved adjustable hinge, for ear phones, attached to a head support.

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the several parts constituting the new adjustable hinge.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on a medial line through the new adjustable hinge, as on line 33 of FIGURE 1.

The support to which the present adjustable hinge connection is applied includes a band 10, adapted to embrace the top of the head. Band may be the rim of a hard hat, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, or it may be the band of a conventional head set in common use by telephone and radio operators.

A hinge, generally indicated by reference numeral 11, consists of a rectangular box like structure having a bottom 12 provided with a groove 13 which forms parallel legs 14, 15 and integrally formed walls identified as right side wall 16, left side wall 17, front wall 18 and rear Wall 19. These four walls form an open topped chamber 20.

Right side wall 16 and left side wall 17 are provided with oppositely located and parallel slots 21, 22, respectively.

A lever 23 is pivotally mounted in chamber by means of a pintle 24 supported in right side wall 16 and left side wall 17.

A U-shaped wire bracket, generally indicated by reference numeral 25, comprises a base 26 having a crook 27 and two parallel legs 28, 29. Base 26 lies within slots 21, 22 with crook 37 overlying lever 23.

A cover 30 provided with two oppositely located and parallel projections or ears 31, 32 is fastened to right side wall 16, left side wall 17 and rear wall 19 by means of screws 34. Ears 31, 32 are located in parallel slots 21, 22, respectively, and overlie base 26 to form the upper portion of a bearing for base 26. Cover 30 encloses the top of chamber 20. Cover 30 is provided with "ice a tapped hole 35. A thumb screw 36 is rotatively mounted in cover 30 through tapped hole 35.

Thumb screw 36 engages lever 23 on one side of pintle 24 thereby to pivot lever 23 against crook 27 and rotate base 26 and legs 28, 29.

Bottom 12 through legs 14, 15 is fastened to band 10 by any conventional means, such as screws, rivets or as illustrated, by adhesive means.

Referring to FIGURE 1 wherein is illustrated a pair of receivers or ear phones 50, 50A adapted to be placed against the ears of the user. The receivers or car phones 50, 50A may be either electrical or acoustical and may be constructed of any desirable composition. Secured to some convenient surface of ear phone 50 is a block 51, preferably made of plastic. Block 51 is provided with two oppositely and parallel located wire bracket receiving orifices 52, 53, which are slidingly mounted upon parallel legs 28, 29 respectively.

The adjustability of the ear phones becomes self evident from the illustration in FIGURE 3. Rotation of thumb screw 36 toward lever 23 pivots lever 23 around pintle 24 and thereby lever 23 lifts crook 27 upwardly to pivot legs 28, 29 in the direction of arrow A. com versely, rotation of thumb screw 36 away from lever 23 allows legs 28, 29 to move in a direction opposite to arrow A.

Ear phone 50 is adjustably mounted along legs 28, 29 through block 51. Ear phone 50 is normally under the influence of gravity so as to tend to force wire legs 28, 29 in a direction opposite to arrow A.

Having shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention by way of example, it should be realized that structural changes could be made and other examples given without departing from either the spirit or scope of this invention.

What I claim is:

1. An adjustable hinge for an ear phone attached to a head support comprising a band, a hinge consisting of a box structure, means fastening said box structure to said band, a lever, means pivotally mounting said lever within said box structure, a cover, means fastening said cover to said box structure, a thumb screw rotatively mounted in said cover for movement toward and away from said lever, a wire bracket, means pivotally mounting said wire bracket to said box structure, means on said wire bracket eugageable with said lever for pivotal movement by said lever, an ear phone, a block means fastening said block to said ear phone, and means attaching said block to said wire bracket.

2. An adjustable hinge consisting of a box structure having a bottom, a right side wall, a left side wall, a front wall, a rear wall and a chamber, two parallel slots, one slot being located in the right side wall and the other slot being located in the left side wall, a lever, a pintle supported on one end in the right side wall and on the other end in the left side wall, said pintle pivotally mounting said lever in said chamber, a U-shaped bracket provided with a base having a crook and two legs, said base being located in said two parallel slots with said crook overlying said lever, a cover provided with two parallel ears, means (fastening said cover over said chamber and to said box structure with said two parallel ears overlying said base, and rotatable means rotatively mounted in said cover for movement toward and away from said lever to pivot said lever and said U-shaped bracket through said crook.

3. An adjustable hinge for an ear .phone attached to a head support comprising a band, a hinge consisting of a box structure having a bottom, right and left side walls, a front wall and a rear wall, means fastening said hinge to said band, two oppositely located and parallel slots located in said right and left side walls respectively, a chamber formed in said box structure, a lever, a pintle supported on opposite ends in said right and left side walls respectively, said pintle pivotally mounting said lever in said chamber, 'a U-shaped wire bracket comprising a base having a crook and two parallel legs, said base being located in said parallel slots with said crook overlying one end of said lever, a cover having two oppositely located and parallel ears, said two ears being located in said two oppositely located and parallel slots, respectively, said two ears overlying said base, said cover overlying said chamber, means fastening said cover to said box structure, a thumb screw, means rotatively mounting said thumb screw in said cover, said thumb screw engaging said lever to pivot said lever and said crook, an ear phone, a block, and means fastening said block to said ear phone, two wire receiving orifices in said block, said two parallel legs located, respectively, in said two wire receiving orifices.

No references cited.

KATHLEEN H. CLAFFY, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM C. COOPER, Examiner. 

1. AN ADJUSTABLE HINGE FOR AN EAR PHONE ATTACHED TO A HEAD SUPPORT COMPRISING A BAND, A HINGE CONSISTING OF A BOX STRUCTURE, MEANS FASTENING SAID BOX STRUCTURE TO SAID BAND, A LEVER, MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID LEVER WITHIN SAID BOX STRUCTURE, A COVER, MEANS FASTENING SAID COVER TO SAID BOX STRUCTURE, A THUMB SCREW ROTATIVELY MOUNTED IN SAID COVER FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID LEVER, A WIRE BRACKET, M,EANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID WIRE BRACKET TO SAID BOX STRUCTURE, MEANS ON SAID WIRE BRACKET ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID LEVER FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT BY SAID LEVER, AN EAR PHONE, A BLOCK MEANS FASTENING SAID BLOCK TO SAID EAR PHONE, AND MEANS ATTACHING SAID BLOCK TO SAID WIRE BRACKET. 